Drive assistance device for saddle type vehicle

ABSTRACT

A drive assistance device (24) for a saddle type vehicle (1) includes a ride sensor (37) configured to detect a ride attitude of a rider (J), a vehicle body behavior generating part (25) configured to generate a behavior on a vehicle body by a prescribed output, and a controller (27) configured to control driving of a plurality of devices (BR, EN, ST) included in the vehicle body behavior generating part (25), and, when at least one of the plurality of devices (BR, EN, ST) is actuated regardless of the operation of the rider (J), the controller (27) determines which of the plurality of devices (BR, EN, ST) is to be actuated according to the ride attitude of the rider (J) detected by the ride sensor (37).

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a drive assistance device for a saddletype vehicle.

BACKGROUND ART

For example, Patent Literature 1 discloses a steering unit for thepurpose of a drive assistance system for a motorcycle. In PatentLiterature 1, holding of left and right grips of a handle by a rider isdetected by sensors provided on the left and right grips. Based on thedetection information, actuation of the drive assistance system such asan emergency brake device or the like is controlled. For example, in theemergency brake device, the operation is activated when the rider holdsthe handle with both hands, and the operation is stopped or restrictedwhen the rider does not hold the handle with both hands.

CITATION LIST Patent Literature

[Patent Literature 1]

-   Germany Patent Application Publication No. 102012217137

SUMMARY OF INVENTION Technical Problem

In the related art, actuation of automatic brake control is changed onlydepending on whether a rider holds a handle with both hands, and thereis no disclosure of the technical scope of reflecting a detection resultof a ride attitude of the rider across a plurality of drive assistances.

Here, the present invention is directed to providing a drive assistancedevice for a saddle type vehicle capable of determining a ride attitudeof a rider from a sensor mounted on a vehicle and actuating automaticcontrol appropriate for the ride attitude.

Solution to Problem

In order to achieve the aforementioned objects, a first aspect of thepresent invention is a drive assistance device for a saddle type vehicleincluding: a ride sensor (37) configured to detect a ride attitude of arider (J); a vehicle body behavior generating part (25) configured togenerate a behavior on a vehicle body by a prescribed output; and acontroller (27) configured to control driving of a plurality of devices(BR, EN, ST) included in the vehicle body behavior generating part (25),wherein, when at least one of the plurality of devices (BR, EN, ST) isactuated regardless of the operation of the rider (J), the controller(27) determines which of the plurality of devices (BR, EN, ST) is to beactuated according to the ride attitude of the rider (J) detected by theride sensor (37).

According to this configuration, when a condition of automatic controlwhich generates a behavior on a vehicle body by a prescribed output,such as automatic brake control, automatic steering control, or thelike, it is determined which of the plurality of devices included in thevehicle body behavior generating part is to be operated according to theride attitude of the rider. Accordingly, when the rider is in a drivingattitude, which is not regular, such as one-handed driving or the like,and it can be expected that the attitude of the rider would be greatlyturbulence by the vehicle body behavior due to any automatic control,the automatic control appropriate for the detected driving attitude canbe selected and executed. Accordingly, disturbance on the attitude ofthe rider can be minimized.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the abovementioned first aspect, a handle (20) to which the rider (J) performs asteering operation is provided, the ride sensor (37) includes a gripsensor (20 c) that is disposed on a grip (20 a) of the handle (20) andthat is configured to detect a gripped state of the rider (J), and thecontroller (27) detects a ride attitude of the rider (J) according tothe gripped state of the rider (J) detected by the grip sensor (20 c).

According to this configuration, the ride attitude of the rider isdetected according to the gripped state of the handle grip of the rider.Accordingly, when the rider is in a driving attitude that is not regularand it can be expected that the attitude of the rider would be greatlydisturbed by the vehicle body behavior due to automatic control, theautomatic control appropriate for the detected driving attitude isselected and executed. Accordingly, disturbance on the attitude of therider can be minimized.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the abovementioned second aspect, the handle (20) includes a pair of left andright grips (20 a), the ride sensor (37) includes a pair of left andright grip sensors (20 c) disposed on the pair of left and right grips(20 a), respectively, and the controller (27) detects a ride attitude ofthe rider (J) according to a crosswise difference between the grippedstates of the rider (J) detected by the pair of left and right gripsensors (20 c).

According to this configuration, the ride attitude of the rider isdetected according to a crosswise difference between the gripped statesof the left and right grips by the rider. Accordingly, when the rider isat a driving attitude that is not regular and it is expected that theattitude of the rider is greatly disturbed by the vehicle body behaviordue to automatic control, the automatic control appropriate for thedetected driving attitude is selected and executed. Accordingly,disturbance on the attitude of the rider can be minimized.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the abovementioned second aspect, the grip sensor (20 c) detects a load directionwith respect to the grip (20 a), and the controller (27) detects a rideattitude of the rider (J) according to the load direction detected bythe grip sensor (20 c).

According to this configuration, the ride attitude of the rider isdetected according to the load direction with respect to the grip of thehandle by the rider. Accordingly, when the rider is at a drivingattitude that is not regular and it is expected that the attitude of therider is greatly disturbed by the vehicle body behavior due to automaticcontrol, the automatic control appropriate for the detected drivingattitude is selected and executed. Accordingly, disturbance on theattitude of the rider can be minimized.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the abovementioned second aspect, the grip sensor (20 c) detects an oscillationfrequency of the grip (20 a), and the controller (27) detects a rideattitude of the rider (J) according to the oscillation frequencydetected by the grip sensor (20 c).

According to this configuration, the ride attitude of the rider isdetected according to a change of the oscillation frequency due toexistence of gripping of the handle grip by the rider. Accordingly, whenthe rider is at a driving attitude that is not regular and it isexpected that the attitude of the rider is greatly disturbed by thevehicle body behavior due to automatic control, the automatic controlappropriate for the detected driving attitude is selected and executed.Accordingly, disturbance on the attitude of the rider can be minimized.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in any one of theabove mentioned first to fifth aspects, a step (14 s) on which the rider(J) puts his/her foot is provided, the ride sensor (37) includes a stepsensor (14 c) disposed on the step (14 s), and the controller (27)detects a ride attitude of the rider (J) according to a footrest stateof the rider (J) detected by the step sensor (14 c).

According to this configuration, the ride attitude of the rider isdetected according to a footrest state on the step of the rider.Accordingly, when the rider is at a driving attitude, which is notregular, such as a foot being removed from the step or the like, and itis expected that the attitude of the rider is greatly disturbed by thevehicle body behavior due to automatic control, the automatic controlappropriate for the detected ride attitude is selected and executed.Accordingly, disturbance on the attitude of the rider can be minimized.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the abovementioned sixth aspect, a pair of left and right steps (14 s) areprovided on both sides of a vehicle body, the ride sensor (37) includesa pair of left and right step sensors (14 c) disposed on the pair ofleft and right steps (14 s), respectively, and the controller (27)detects a ride attitude of the rider (J) according to a crosswisedifference between the footrest states of the rider (J) detected by thepair of left and right step sensors (14 c).

According to this configuration, the ride attitude of the rider isdetected according to a crosswise difference between the footrest statesto the steps by the rider. Accordingly, when the rider is at a drivingattitude that is not regular and it is expected that the attitude of therider is greatly disturbed by the vehicle body behavior due to automaticcontrol, the automatic control appropriate for the detected rideattitude is selected and executed. Accordingly, disturbance on theattitude of the rider can be minimized.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the abovementioned sixth aspect, the step sensor (14 c) detects a load directionwith respect to the step (14 s), and the controller (27) detects a rideattitude of the rider (J) according to the load direction detected bythe step sensor (14 c).

According to this configuration, the ride attitude of the rider isdetected according to a footrest load direction with respect to the stepof the rider. Accordingly, when the rider is at a driving attitude thatis not regular and it is expected that the attitude of the rider isgreatly disturbed by the vehicle body behavior due to automatic control,the automatic control appropriate for the detected ride attitude isselected and executed. Accordingly, disturbance on the attitude of therider can be minimized.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the abovementioned sixth aspect, the step sensor (14 c) detects an oscillationfrequency of the step (14 s), and the controller (27) detects a rideattitude of the rider (J) according to the oscillation frequencydetected by the step sensor (14 c).

According to this configuration, the ride attitude of rider is detectedaccording to a change of the oscillation frequency due to existence ofthe footrest load with respect to the step by the rider. Accordingly,when the rider is at a driving attitude that is not regular and it isexpected that the attitude of the rider is greatly disturbed by thevehicle body behavior due to automatic control, the automatic controlappropriate for the detected ride attitude is selected and executed.Accordingly, disturbance on the attitude of the rider can be minimized.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the abovementioned first aspect, the controller (27) performs automatic steeringcontrol in the case in which it is determined that the body of the rider(J) is biased forward from a standard attitude when it is recognizedthat an object is approaching a host vehicle.

According to this configuration, when it is supposed that the body ofthe rider is biased forward from the standard attitude, the controllercan prevent the body of the rider from moving further forward byselecting the automatic steering instead of the automatic braking.

According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, in the abovementioned first aspect, the controller (27) performs automatic brakecontrol when it is determined that the body of the rider (J) is biasedleftward or rightward from a standard attitude when it is recognizedthat an object is approaching a host vehicle.

According to this configuration, when it is expected that the body ofthe rider is biased leftward or rightward from the standard attitude,the controller can prevent the body of the rider from moving furtherleftward or rightward by selecting the automatic braking instead of theautomatic steering.

Advantageous Effects of Invention

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a driveassistance device for a saddle type vehicle capable of determining aride attitude of a rider from a sensor mounted on a vehicle andactuating automatic control.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a configuration view of a vehicle system of an embodiment ofthe present invention.

FIG. 2 is a view for explaining an aspect in which a relative positionand an attitude of a host vehicle with respect to a traveling lane arerecognized by a recognition part of the vehicle system.

FIG. 3 is a view for explaining an aspect in which a target trajectoryis generated on the basis of a recommended lane in the vehicle system.

FIG. 4 is a left side view of a motorcycle of an embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a configuration view of a control device of the motorcycle.

FIG. 6 is a configuration view of a drive assistance device of themotorcycle.

FIG. 7 is a view for explaining an example of drive assistance controlof the motorcycle.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of processing performed by thecontrol device in the drive assistance control.

FIG. 9 is a view for explaining the motorcycle when seen from above.

FIG. 10 is a view for explaining the motorcycle when seen from a side.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing an example of processing performed by thecontrol device when an attitude of a rider on the motorcycle isdetected.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing an example of processing performed by thecontrol device when a preparation behavior of the motorcycle isgenerated to perform driving assistance.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing an example of processing performed by thecontrol device when a behavior suppressing part of the motorcycle isactuated to perform driving assistance.

FIG. 14 is a view for explaining an action of a seat moving device ofthe behavior suppressing part when seen from a side.

FIG. 15 is a view for explaining an application example of the driveassistance control, FIG. 15(a) shows a comparative example, and FIG.15(b) shows a practical example.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing an example of processing performed by acontrol device in the application example.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

Hereinafter, an example of a vehicle system of an embodiment will bedescribed with reference to the accompanying drawings.

In the embodiment, the vehicle system is applied to an automatic drivingvehicle. Here, there are levels in automatic driving. The level inautomatic driving can be determined by a scale such as, for example,whether the level is less than a predetermined reference or whether thelevel is equal to or greater than the predetermined reference. The levelin the automatic driving being less than the predetermined reference maybe, for example, a case in which manual driving is performed or a casein which only a drive assistance device such as an adaptive cruisecontrol system (ACC), a lane keeping assistance system (LKAS), or thelike, is operated. The driving mode in which the level in the automaticdriving is less than the predetermined reference is an example of “afirst driving mode.” In addition, the level in the automatic drivingbeing equal to or greater than the predetermined reference may be, forexample, a case in which a control level is higher than that in the ACCor the LKAS and a drive assistance device such as auto lane changing(ALC), low speed car passing (LSP), or the like, is actuated, or a casein which automatic driving automatically performed to lane change,merging or diverging is executed. The driving mode in which the level inthe automatic driving is equal to or greater than the predeterminedreference is an example of “a second driving mode.” The predeterminedreference can be arbitrarily set. In the embodiment, the first drivingmode is manual driving, and the second driving mode is automaticdriving.

<Entire System>

FIG. 1 is a configuration view of a vehicle system 50 according to anembodiment. A vehicle on which the vehicle system 50 is mounted is, forexample, a two-wheeled, three-wheeled, or four-wheeled vehicle, and adriving source thereof is an internal combustion engine such as agasoline engine, a diesel engine, or the like, an electric motor, or acombination of these. The electric motor is operated using an outputgenerated by a generator connected to the internal combustion engine, ordischarged energy of a secondary battery or a fuel cell.

The vehicle system 50 includes, for example, a camera 51, a radar device52, a finder 53, an object recognition device 54, a communication device55, a human machine interface (HMI) 56, a vehicle sensor 57, anavigation device 70, a map positioning unit (MPU) 60, a drive operator80, an automatic driving control device 100, a traveling driving forceoutput device 200, a brake device 210, and a steering device 220. Thesedevices or instruments are connected to each other by a multiplecommunication line such as a controller area network (CAN) communicationline or the like, a serial communication line, a wireless communicationnetwork, or the like. Further, the configuration shown in FIG. 1 ismerely an example, a part of the configuration may be omitted, andanother configuration may be added.

The camera 51 is, for example, a digital camera using a solid-stateimage sensing device such as a charge coupled device (CCD), acomplementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS), or the like. The camera51 is attached to an arbitrary place of a vehicle (hereinafter, a hostvehicle M) on which the vehicle system 50 is mounted. When a side infront of the host vehicle M is imaged, the camera 51 is attached to anupper section of a front windshield, a rear surface of a rearviewmirror, or the like. In the case of a saddle type vehicle such as atwo-wheeled vehicle or the like, the camera 51 is attached to steeredsystem parts or exterior parts or the like on the side of a vehicle bodythat supports the steered system parts. The camera 51, for example,images the surroundings of the host vehicle M periodically andrepeatedly. The camera 51 may be a stereo camera.

The radar device 52 radiates radio waves such as millimeter waves or thelike to the surroundings of the host vehicle M, and simultaneously,detects the radio waves (reflected waves) reflected by the object todetect at least a position (a distance and an azimuth) of the object.The radar device 52 is attached to an arbitrary place of the hostvehicle M. The radar device 52 may detect a position and a speed of theobject using a frequency modulated continuous wave (FM-CW) method.

The finder 53 is light detection and ranging (LIDAR). The finder 53radiates light to surroundings of the host vehicle M, and measuresscattered light. The finder 53 detects a distance to a target on thebasis of a time from emission to reception of light. The radiated lightis, for example, a pulse-shaped laser beam. The finder 53 is attached toan arbitrary place of the host vehicle M.

The object recognition device 54 recognizes a position, a type, a speed,or the like, of the object by performing sensor fusion processing withrespect to the detection result of some or all of the camera 51, theradar device 52, and the finder 53. The object recognition device 54outputs the recognized result to the automatic driving control device100. The object recognition device 54 may output the detection resultsof the camera 51, the radar device 52, and the finder 53 to theautomatic driving control device 100 as they are. The object recognitiondevice 54 may be omitted from the vehicle system 50.

The communication device 55 uses, for example, a cellular network, aWi-Fi network, Bluetooth (registered trademark), dedicated short rangecommunication (DSRC), or the like, communicates with other vehiclespresent in the vicinity of the host vehicle M, or communicates withvarious server devices via a radio base station.

The HMI 56 receives an input operation by an occupant in the hostvehicle M while providing various types of information to the occupant.The HMI 56 includes various display devices, a speaker, a buzzer, atouch panel, a switch, a key, or the like.

The vehicle sensor 57 includes a vehicle speed sensor configured todetect a speed of the host vehicle M, an acceleration sensor configuredto detect an acceleration, a yaw rate sensor configured to detect anangular speed around a vertical axis, and an azimuth sensor configuredto detect an orientation of the host vehicle M.

The navigation device 70 includes, for example, a global navigationsatellite system (GNSS) receiver 71, a navigation HMI 72, and a routedetermining part 73. The navigation device 70 holds first mapinformation 74 in a storage device such as a hard disk drive (HDD), aflash memory, or the like. The GNSS receiver 71 specifies a position ofthe host vehicle M on the basis of the signal received from GNSSsatellites. The position of the host vehicle M may be specified orcomplemented by an inertial navigation system (INS) using the output ofthe vehicle sensor 57. The navigation HMI 72 includes a display device,a speaker, a touch panel, a key, and the like. The navigation HMI 72 maybe shared with a part or the entirety of the HMI 56 described above. Theroute determining part 73 determines, for example, a route to adestination input by an occupant using the navigation HMI 72(hereinafter, a route on a map) from a position of the host vehicle Mspecified by the GNSS receiver 71 (or an input arbitrary position) withreference to the first map information 74. The first map information 74is, for example, information in which a road shape is expressed by alink showing a road and a node connected by the link. The first mapinformation 74 may include a curvature of a road, point of interest(POI) information, or the like. The route on a map is output to the MPU60. The navigation device 70 may perform route guidance using thenavigation HMI 72 on the basis of the route on a map. The navigationdevice 70 may be realized by, for example, a function of a terminaldevice such as a smartphone, a tablet terminal, or the like, held by theoccupant. The navigation device 70 may transmit the current position andthe destination to the navigation server via the communication device55, and acquire the same route as the route on a map from the navigationserver.

The MPU 60 includes, for example, a recommended lane determining part61, and holds second map information 62 in a storage device such as anHDD, a flash memory, or the like. The recommended lane determining part61 divides the route on a map provided from the navigation device 70into a plurality of blocks (for example, divided at each 100 [m] in adirection in which the vehicle advances), and determines a recommendedlane at each block with reference to the second map information 62. Therecommended lane determining part 61 performs determination regarding onwhat numbered lane from the left the vehicle will travel. Therecommended lane determining part 61 determines a recommended lane suchthat the host vehicle M can travel on a reasonable route to go to abranch destination when a diverging place is present on the route on amap.

The second map information 62 is map information that is more precisethan the first map information 74. The second map information 62includes, for example, information of a center of a lane, information ofa boundary of a lane, or the like. In addition, the second mapinformation 62 may include road information, traffic regulationinformation, address information (address/zip code), facilityinformation, telephone number information, and the like. The second mapinformation 62 may be updated at any time by the communication device 55communicating with another device.

The drive operator 80 includes, for example, an accelerator pedal (and agrip), a brake pedal (and a lever), a shift lever (and a pedal), asteering wheel (and a bar handle), heteromorphic steering, a joystick,and other operators. A sensor configured to detect an operation amountor an existence of an operation is attached to the drive operator 80,and the detection result is output to some or all of the automaticdriving control device 100, the traveling driving force output device200, the brake device 210, and the steering device 220.

The automatic driving control device 100 includes, for example, a firstcontroller 120 and a second controller 160. The first controller 120 andthe second controller 160 are realized by executing a program (software)using a hardware processor such as a central processing unit (CPU) orthe like. In addition, some or all of these components may be realizedby hardware (a circuit part; including a circuitry) such as large scaleintegration (LSI), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), afield-programmable gate array (FPGA), a graphics processing unit (GPU),or the like, or may be realized by cooperation of software and hardware.

The first controller 120 includes, for example, a recognition part 130and an action plan generating part 140. The first controller 120realizes, for example, both of a function of artificial intelligence(AI) and a function of a previously provided model at the same time. Forexample, a function of “recognizing a crossroad” is executed parallel torecognition of a crossroad through deep learning or the like andrecognition based on a previously provided condition (a signal thatenables matching of patterns, road markings, or the like), and may berealized by scoring and comprehensively evaluating them. Accordingly,reliability of automatic driving is guaranteed.

The recognition part 130 recognizes a state such as a position, a speed,an acceleration, and the like, of an object (another vehicle or thelike) around the host vehicle M on the basis of information input fromthe camera 51, the radar device 52, and the finder 53 via the objectrecognition device 54. The position of the object may be recognized as,for example, a position on absolute coordinates using a representativepoint (a center of gravity, a driving shaft center, or the like) of thehost vehicle M as an origin and used for control. The position of theobject may be expressed at a representative point such as a center ofgravity, a corner, or the like, of the object, or may be represented asan expressed region. “A state” of the object may include an accelerationor a jerk of the object, or “an action state” (for example, whether lanechange is being performed or about to be performed).

In addition, the recognition part 130 recognizes, for example, a lane (atraveling lane) along which the host vehicle M travels. For example, therecognition part 130 recognizes a traveling lane by comparing a pattern(for example, arrangement of solid line and broken lines) of roadmarking lines obtained from the second map information 62, and a patternof road marking lines around the host vehicle M recognized from theimage captured by the camera 51. Further, the recognition part 130 mayrecognize the traveling lane by recognizing traveling lane boundaries(road boundaries) including road marking lines, road shoulders,curbstones, median strips, guardrails, and the like, while not beinglimited to road marking lines. In the recognition, the position of thehost vehicle M acquired from the navigation device 70 or a processingresult by the INS may be added. In addition, the recognition part 130may recognize a temporary stop line, an obstacle, a red signal, atollgate, and other road events.

The recognition part 130 recognizes a position or an attitude of thehost vehicle M with respect to the traveling lane when the travelinglane is recognized.

FIG. 2 is a view showing an example of an aspect in which a relativeposition and an attitude of the host vehicle M with respect to atraveling lane L1 are recognized by the recognition part 130. Therecognition part 130 may recognize, for example, a separation OS from atraveling lane center CL of a reference point (for example, a center ofgravity) of the host vehicle M and an angle θ with respect to a lineconnecting the traveling lane centers CL in a direction in which thehost vehicle M advances as a relative position and an attitude of thehost vehicle M with respect to the traveling lane L1. In addition,instead of this, the recognition part 130 may recognize a position orthe like of reference points of the host vehicle M with respect to aside end portion from any position of the traveling lane L1 (roadmarking lines or road boundaries) as a relative position of the hostvehicle M with respect to the traveling lane.

Returning to FIG. 1, the action plan generating part 140 generates atarget trajectory along which the host vehicle M automatically(regardless of a driver's operation) travels in the future so that thehost vehicle travels a recommended lane determined by the recommendedlane determining part 61 in principle, and further, so that the hosevehicle can correspond to a surrounding situation of the host vehicle M.The target trajectory includes, for example, a speed element. Forexample, the target trajectory is expressed as the order of the points(trajectory points) to be reached by the host vehicle M. The trajectorypoint is a point at which the host vehicle M will arrive after each ofpredetermined traveling distances (for example, about several [m]) by aroad distance, and separately from this, the target speed and the targetacceleration are generated as a part of the target trajectory for everypredetermined sampling time (for example, about every several fractionsof a [sec]). In addition, the trajectory point may be a position atwhich the host vehicle M will arrive in the sampling time for everypredetermined sampling time. In this case, information of the targetspeed or the target acceleration is expressed as intervals between thetrajectory points.

The action plan generating part 140 may set the automatic driving eventwhen the target trajectory is generated. The automatic driving eventincludes, for example, a fixed speed traveling event in which the hostvehicle M travels along the same traveling lane at a fixed speed, afollowing traveling event in which the host vehicle M travels to followa preceding vehicle, a lane change event in which a traveling lane ofthe host vehicle M is changed, a diverging event in which the hostvehicle M travels in a target direction at a diverging point of a road,a merging event in which the host vehicle M merges at a merging point,an overtaking event in which the host vehicle M overtakes a precedingvehicle, and the like. The action plan generating part 140 generates atarget trajectory according to the started event.

FIG. 3 is a view showing an aspect in which the target trajectory isgenerated on the basis of the recommended lane. As shown, therecommended lane is set to be convenient for traveling along the routeto the destination. The action plan generating part 140 starts a lanechange event, a diverging event, a merging event, or the like, when thehost vehicle M approaches a predetermined distance before a switchingpoint of the recommended lane (may be determined according to the typeof event). In execution of each event, when there is necessity ofavoiding an obstacle, an avoiding trajectory as shown is generated.

Returning to FIG. 1, the second controller 160 controls the travelingdriving force output device 200, the brake device 210, and the steeringdevice 220 such that the host vehicle M passes through the targettrajectory generated by the action plan generating part 140 at ascheduled time.

The second controller 160 includes, for example, an acquisition part162, a speed controller 164, and a steering controller 166. Theacquisition part 162 acquires information of the target trajectory(trajectory points) generated by the action plan generating part 140,and stores the acquired information in a memory (not shown). The speedcontroller 164 controls the traveling driving force output device 200 orthe brake device 210 on the basis of the speed element associated withthe target trajectory stored in the memory. The steering controller 166controls the steering device 220 according to a curve condition of thetarget trajectory stored in the memory. The processing of the speedcontroller 164 and the steering controller 166 are realized by, forexample, combination of feedforward control and feedback control. As anexample, the steering controller 166 combines the feedforward controlaccording to the curvature of the road in front of the host vehicle Mand the feedback control based on the separation from the targettrajectory and executes the combination.

The traveling driving force output device 200 outputs a travelingdriving force (torque) to a driving wheel such that the host vehicle Mtravels. The traveling driving force output device 200 includes, forexample, combination of an internal combustion engine, an electricmotor, a gearbox, and the like, and an electronic control unit (ECU)configured to control them. The ECU controls the above-mentionedconfiguration according to the information input from the secondcontroller 160 or the information input from the drive operator 80.

The brake device 210 includes, for example, a brake caliper, a cylinderconfigured to transmit a hydraulic pressure to the brake caliper, anelectric motor configured to generate a hydraulic pressure in thecylinder, and a brake ECU. The brake ECU controls the electric motoraccording to the information input from the second controller 160 or theinformation input from the drive operator 80 such that the brake torqueaccording to the braking operation is output to each wheel. The brakedevice 210 may include a mechanism configured to transmit a hydraulicpressure generated by an operation of the brake operator included in thedrive operator 80 to the cylinder via the master cylinder as a backup.Further, the brake device 210 is not limited to the above-mentionedconfiguration and may be an electronically controlled hydraulic brakedevice configured to control an actuator according to the informationinput from the second controller 160 and transmit a hydraulic pressureof the master cylinder to the cylinder.

The steering device 220 includes, for example, a steering ECU and anelectric motor. The electric motor changes an orientation of a steeredwheel by, for example, applying a force to a rack and pinion mechanism.The steering ECU drives the electric motor and changes an orientation ofthe steered wheel according to the information input from the secondcontroller 160 or the information input from the drive operator 80.

<Entire Vehicle>

Next, a motorcycle that is an example of a saddle type vehicle accordingto the embodiment will be described. Further, directions of forward,rearward, leftward, rightward, and so on, in the following descriptionare the same as directions in a vehicle described below unless thecontext clearly indicates otherwise. In addition, in appropriate placesin the drawings used in the following description, an arrow FR indicatesa forward direction with respect to a vehicle, and an arrow UP indicatesan upward direction with respect to the vehicle.

As shown in FIG. 4, a front wheel 2 that is a steering wheel of amotorcycle 1 is supported by lower end portions of a pair of left andright front forks 3. Upper sections of the left and right front forks 3are steerably supported by a head pipe 6 of a front end portion of avehicle body frame 5 via a steering stem 4. The steering stem 4 includesa steering shaft 4 c inserted through and pivotably supported by thehead pipe 6, and upper and lower bridge members (a top bridge 4 a and abottom bridge 4 b) fixed to upper and lower end portions of the steeringshaft 4 c, respectively. A bar type handle 20 is attached to at leastone of the upper section (the top bridge 4 a) of the steering stem 4 andthe left and right front forks 3. The handle 20 includes a pair of leftand right grips 20 a gripped by a rider (a driver) J. In the drawings,reference sign 4S indicates a steering mechanism including the steeringstem 4 and the left and right front forks 3, and reference sign STindicates a steering device including the steering mechanism 4S and asteering actuator 43 (see FIG. 5).

A rear wheel 7 that is a driving wheel of the motorcycle 1 is supportedby a rear end portion of a swing arm 8 extending below a rear section ofa vehicle body in a forward/rearward direction. A front end portion ofthe swing arm 8 is vertically swingably supported by a pivot section 9of a longitudinal intermediate section of the vehicle body frame 5. Arear cushion 8 a is disposed between the front section of the swing arm8 and the longitudinal intermediate section of the vehicle body frame 5.

Here, the motorcycle 1 includes jacks (not shown) in the left and rightfront forks 3 and the rear cushion 8 a, and lengths (cushion lengths) ofthe left and right front forks 3 and the rear cushion 8 a and a vehicleheight can be adjusted by actuations of the jacks. In the drawings,reference sign SU indicates a vehicle height adjustment device includingthe left and right front forks 3 and the rear cushion 8 a.

An engine (an internal combustion engine) 10 that is a prime mover issupported by the vehicle body frame 5. The engine 10 has a cylinder 12standing above a front section of a crank case 11. A fuel tank 13 inwhich fuel for the engine 10 is stored is disposed above the engine 10.A seat 14 on which an occupant (a driver and a passenger on a rear part)sits is disposed behind the fuel tank 13. A pair of left and right steps14 s on which the rider J can put his/her foot are disposed at both ofleft and right sides under the seat 14. A front cowl 15 supported by thevehicle body frame 5 is mounted on a front section of the vehicle body.A screen 16 is provided on a front upper side of the front cowl 15. Ameter device 17 is disposed on an inner side of the front cowl 15. Aside cover 18 is mounted on a side portion of the vehicle body below theseat 14. A rear cowl 19 is mounted on a rear section of the vehiclebody.

Here, the motorcycle 1 includes a seat moving device SV configured totilt the seat 14 forward and rearward. The seat moving device SV tiltsthe seat 14 to raise or lower front and rear ends thereof. The seatmoving device SV may have a function of tilting the seat 14 to raise orlower the left and right ends. The seat moving device SV includes anactuator (not shown) configured to tilt the seat 14.

The motorcycle 1 includes a front wheel brake main body 2B, a rear wheelbrake main body 7B, and a brake actuator 42 (see FIG. 5). Each of thefront wheel brake main body 2B and the rear wheel brake main body 7B isa hydraulic disc brake. The motorcycle 1 constitutes a by-wire typebrake system configured to electrically link the front wheel brake mainbody 2B and the rear wheel brake main body 7B to a brake operator basuch as a brake lever 2 a, a brake pedal 7 a (see FIG. 9), and the like,operated by the rider J. In the drawings, reference sign BR indicates abrake device including the front and rear brake main bodies 2B and 7Band the brake actuator 42.

Here, the brake device BR constitutes an interlocking front/rear brakesystem (a combined brake system (CBS)) configured to generate brakingforces of front and rear wheels by linking the front and rear brake mainbodies 2B and 7B upon operation of one of the brake lever 2 a and thebrake pedal 7 a. In addition, the brake device BR constitutes anantilock brake system (ABS) configured to appropriately control slipratios of front and rear wheels by depressurizing a brake pressureaccording to slip states of the front and rear wheels upon operations ofthe front and rear brake main bodies 2B and 7B.

FIG. 5 is a configuration view of a major part of the motorcycle 1according to the embodiment.

The motorcycle 1 includes a control device 23 configured to controloperations of various devices 22 based on detection information acquiredfrom various sensors 21. The control device 23 is configured as, forexample, an integrated or a plurality of electronic control devices(ECUs). The control device 23 may be at least partially realized bycooperation of software and hardware. The control device 23 includes afuel injection controller, an ignition controller and a throttlecontroller, which are configured to control driving of the engine 10.The motorcycle 1 constitutes a by-wire type engine control systemconfigured to electrically link auxiliary machinery such as a throttledevice 48 or the like, and an accelerator operator such as anaccelerator grip or the like operated by the rider J.

The various sensors 21 include a vehicle body acceleration sensor 34, asteering angle sensor 35, a steering torque sensor 36, a ride sensor 37,an outside detecting camera 38 and an occupant detecting camera 39, inaddition to a throttle sensor 31, a wheel speed sensor 32 and a brakepressure sensor 33.

The various sensors 21 detect various operation inputs of the rider Jand various states of the motorcycle 1 and the occupant. The varioussensors 21 output various types of detection information to the controldevice 23.

The throttle sensor 31 detects an operation amount (an accelerationrequest) of an accelerator operator such as a throttle grip or the like.

The wheel speed sensors 32 are provided on the front and rear wheels 2and 7, respectively. Detection information of the wheel speed sensors 32is used for control of the ABS, traction control, and the like. Thedetection information of the wheel speed sensors 32 may be used asvehicle speed information transmitted to the meter device 17.

The brake pressure sensor 33 detects an operation force (a decelerationrequest) of the brake operator ba of the brake lever 2 a, the brakepedal 7 a, and the like.

The vehicle body acceleration sensor 34 is an inertial measurementdevice (IMU) having five axes or six axes, and detects angles (or anangular speed) of three axes ((a roll axis, a pitch axis and a yaw axis)and an acceleration in the vehicle body. Hereinafter, the vehicle bodyacceleration sensor 34 may be referred to as an IMU 34.

The steering angle sensor 35 is, for example, a potentiometer providedon the steering shaft 4 c, and detects a pivot angle (a steering angle)of the steering shaft 4 c with respect to the vehicle body.

Referring also to FIG. 4, the steering torque sensor 36 is, for example,a magneto-striction type torque sensor provided between the handle 20and the steering shaft 4 c, and detects a torsion torque (steeringinput) input from the handle 20 to the steering shaft 4 c. The steeringtorque sensor 36 is an example of a load sensor configured to detect asteering force input to the handle 20 (the steering operator).

In the embodiment, the handle pivot shaft that pivotably supports thehandle 20 is the same as the steering shaft 4 c that steerably supportsthe front wheel 2.

Here, the steering mechanism 4S of the embodiment is a general term fora configuration in which the steering mechanism 4S is provided betweenthe handle 20 and the front wheel 2 (the steering wheel) and pivotalmovement of the handle 20 is transmitted to the front wheel 2. Thehandle pivot shaft and the steering shaft (the front wheel pivot shaft)are configured to be the same as each other, and may be providedseparately from each other or on different shafts. When the handle pivotshaft and the steering shaft are provided on the different shafts, aconfiguration of linking the handle pivot shaft and the steering shaftis included in the steering mechanism 4S.

The ride sensor 37 detects whether the rider J is in a regular rideattitude. The ride sensor 37 may be exemplified as, for example, a seatsensor 14 d disposed on the seat 14 and configured to detect whether therider J sits on the seat, left and right grip sensors 20 c disposed onleft and right grips 20 a of the handle 20 and configured to detectwhether the rider J grips the left and right grips 20 a, left and rightstep sensors 14 c disposed on left and right steps 14 s and configuredto detect whether there is a footrest for the rider J, and the like.

Referring also to FIG. 9, the grip sensors 20 c include a load sensorsuch as a piezoelectric sensor or the like configured to detect a degreeand an orientation of a load due to gripping of the rider J, and anacceleration sensor configured to measure an oscillation frequency ofthe grips 20 a. Information detected by the grip sensors 20 c is inputto the control device 23.

The step sensors 14 c also include a load sensor configured to detect adegree and an orientation of a load due to the footrest of the rider J,and an acceleration sensor configured to measure an oscillationfrequency of the steps 14 s. Information detected by the step sensors 14c is input to the control device 23.

The seat sensor 14 d includes a load sensor such as a piezoelectricsensor or the like configured to detect a degree and an orientation of aload due to sitting of the rider J. Information detected by the seatsensor 14 d is input to the control device 23.

The control device 23 detects that the rider J is in a driving statecorresponding to one-hand driving based on a crosswise difference indegree of the gripping load detected by the grip sensors 20 c. “Thedriving state corresponding to the one-hand driving” is a ride attitudestate that is not regular, and a state in which the attitude of therider J is easy to be disturbed due to a behavior of the vehicle body.The control device 23 determines that the rider J is in the rideattitude that is not regular when the crosswise difference in degree ofthe gripping load is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold.Here, when automatic control that causes the vehicle body behavior suchas an automatic brake, automatic steering, or the like, is performed,the attitude of the rider J tends to be disturbed and lead to tiredness.When the control device 23 determines that the rider J is in the rideattitude that is not regular, it takes measures such as lowering theoutput of the automatic braking or automatic steering. Accordingly, thedisturbance of the attitude of the rider J is suppressed.

In addition, the control device 23 detects that the rider J is in thedriving state corresponding to the one-hand driving using also thecrosswise difference in grip oscillation detected by the grip sensors 20c. That is, since a difference occurs in a relation between the enginerotation number and the grip oscillation frequency due to presence ofgripping of the grips 20 a, one-hand driving can be detected based onthe crosswise difference in grip oscillation.

It is possible to accurately detect that the rider J is in the drivingstate corresponding to the one-hand driving using the grip load and theoscillation frequency.

Here, even when the rider J grips the left and right grips 20 a, forexample, in a state in which the rider J is looking back and stretchinghis/her limbs, like the one-hand driving, it can be said that the riderJ is not in the regular driving attitude. The control device 23 detectsnot only the degree of the gripping load detected by the grip sensors 20c, but also an orientation of the gripping load. That is, the controldevice 23 determines that the rider J is in the driving attitude that isnot regular also when the orientation of the gripping load is changeddue to the rider J twisting the body, when the orientation of thegripping load is changed due to stretching of the rider. Even in thiscase, the control device 23 suppresses the disturbance of the attitudeof the rider J by taking measures such as lowering the output of theautomatic control. While the orientation of the gripping load may be setusing the orientation downward in the vertical direction as theorientation of the reference, it may also be set by learning theorientation of the gripping load upon normal traveling withoutperforming the automatic control.

When it is detected that the rider J is in an irregular drivingattitude, alarming with respect to the rider J may be performed byactuating an alarming part 49, which will be described below, or thelike. In addition, when it is detected that the rider J is in theirregular driving attitude, operations related to the acceleration ofthe motorcycle 1 (an operation that interferes with deceleration) suchas a throttle opening operation or a shift-up operation may be disabledor invalidated. In this case, like the alarming to the rider J,notifications may be made to visual, auditory and tactile sensations ofthe rider J.

Returning to FIGS. 4 and 5, the outside detecting camera 38 images asituation in front of the vehicle. The outside detecting camera 38 isprovided on, for example, a front end portion of the vehicle body (forexample, a front end portion of the front cowl 15). The image capturedby the outside detecting camera 38 is transmitted to, for example, thecontrol device 23, subjected to appropriate image processing, andbecomes desired image data to be used for various controls. That is, theinformation from the outside detecting camera 38 is provided forrecognition of the position, type, speed, or the like, of the object inthe detecting direction, and driving assist control, automatic drivingcontrol, or the like, of the vehicle is performed based on therecognition.

For example, the outside detecting camera 38 may be a camera thatcaptures not only visible light but also invisible light such asinfrared light or the like. As an outside detecting sensor instead ofthe outside detecting camera 38, not only an optical sensor such as acamera or the like but also a radio wave sensor such as radar or thelike using microwaves such as infrared light, millimeter wave, or thelike, may be used. Instead of a single sensor, a configuration includinga plurality of sensors such as a stereo camera or the like may be used.A camera and radar may be used together.

The occupant detecting camera 39 is a digital camera that uses a solidstate image sensing device such as a CCD, a CMOS, or the like, forexample, like the outside detecting camera 38. The occupant detectingcamera 39 is provided on, for example, an inner side of the front cowl15 or an upper section of the rear cowl 19. The occupant detectingcamera 39 captures the head and the upper half body of the rider J, forexample, periodically and repeatedly. The image captured by the occupantdetecting camera 39 is transmitted to, for example, the control device23, and used for driving assist control, automatic driving control, orthe like, of the vehicle.

The motorcycle 1 includes the steering actuator 43, a steering damper 44and the alarming part 49, in addition to an engine control part 45 andthe brake actuator 42.

The engine control part 45 includes a fuel injection device 46, anignition device 47, the throttle device 48, and the like. That is, theengine control part 45 includes auxiliary machinery configured to drivethe engine 10. In the drawings, reference sign EN indicates a drivingdevice including the engine 10 and auxiliary machinery.

The brake actuator 42 supplies a hydraulic pressure to the front wheelbrake main body 2B and the rear wheel brake main body 7B and actuatesthem according to an operation to the brake operator ba. The brakeactuator 42 functions as a control unit of the CBS and the ABS.

The steering actuator 43 outputs a steering torque to the steering shaft4 c. The steering actuator 43 actuates an electric motor according tothe detection information of the steering torque sensor 36 and appliesan assist torque to the steering shaft 4 c.

The steering damper 44 is disposed in the vicinity of, for example, thehead pipe 6, and applies a damping force to a steering system includingthe handle 20 in a steering direction (a rotation direction around thesteering shaft 4 c). The steering damper 44 is, for example, anelectronically controlled damper with a variable damping force, andactuation thereof is controlled by the control device 23. For example,the steering damper 44 decreases a damping force applied to the steeringsystem upon stopping or at a low vehicle speed of the motorcycle 1, andincreases a damping force applied to the steering system at amiddle/high vehicle speed of the motorcycle 1. The steering damper 44may be any one of a vane type and a rod type as long as the dampingforce is variable depending on the control of the control device 23.

The alarming part 49 performs alarming to the rider J, for example, whenit is determined that the rider J is not the prescribed ride attitude.The alarming part 49 gives the rider J a visual, auditory or tactilewarning. For example, the alarming part 49 is exemplified as anindicator lamp, a display device, a speaker, an oscillator, and thelike. The indicator lamp and the display device are disposed on, forexample, the meter device 17. The speaker is installed in, for example,a helmet, and connected to a sound signal output part provided on thecontrol device 23 in a wireless or wired manner. The oscillator isdisposed at an area with which the body of the rider J in the prescribedride attitude is in contact, for example, the seat 14, a knee grip (thefuel tank 13, the side cover 18, or the like), the grips 20 a, the steps14 s, and the like.

<Drive Assistance Device>

Next, an example of a drive assistance device of the motorcycle 1 of theembodiment will be described.

As shown in FIG. 6, a drive assistance device 24 of the embodimentincludes: a vehicle body behavior generating part 25 configured togenerate a behavior in a vehicle body by a prescribed output; a rideattitude detecting part 26 configured to detect a ride attitude of therider J; a vehicle body behavior detecting part 28 configured to detecta roll angle from an erected state of the vehicle body; a behaviorsuppressing part 29 configured to suppress a behavior of at least one ofthe vehicle body and the rider J; and a controller 27 configured tocontrol driving of the vehicle body behavior generating part 25 and thebehavior suppressing part 29 based on detection information of the rideattitude detecting part 26 and the vehicle body behavior detecting part28.

The vehicle body behavior generating part 25 includes, for example, thebrake device BR, the steering device ST and the driving device EN.

The brake device BR includes the front and rear brake main bodies 2B and7B and the brake actuator 42. The brake device BR is actuated by atleast one of the operation of the brake operator ba and the control ofthe controller 27 to generate a prescribed braking force.

The steering device ST includes the steering mechanism 4S and thesteering actuator 43. The steering device ST is actuated by at least oneof the operation of the steering operator and the control of thecontroller 27 to generate a prescribed steering force.

The driving device EN includes engine auxiliary machinery such as thethrottle device 48 or the like. The engine auxiliary machinery isactuated by at least one of the operation of the accelerator operatorand the control of the controller 27 to generate a prescribed drivingforce of the engine 10.

The ride attitude detecting part 26 includes, for example, the ridesensor 37 and the occupant detecting camera 39.

The ride sensor 37 includes the grip sensors 20 c, the step sensors 14 cand the seat sensor 14 d.

The occupant detecting camera 39 detects, for example, movements (movingamounts) of the head and the upper half body of the rider J. Theoccupant detecting camera 39 may detect movement of the body of thepassenger on a rear part in addition to the movement of the body of therider J.

The vehicle body behavior detecting part 28 includes, for example, thevehicle body acceleration sensor (IMU) 34. In particular, the IMU 34detects angles (or angular speeds) and accelerations of the roll axis,the pitch axis and the yaw axis of the vehicle body including the rollangle from the erected state of the vehicle body.

The behavior suppressing part 29 includes, for example, the vehicleheight adjustment device SU and the seat moving device SV. The vehicleheight adjustment device SU minimizes pitching of the vehicle body bylowering a vehicle height of the motorcycle 1 when the acceleration anddeceleration of automatic brake control or the like are performed.

Referring to FIG. 14, the seat moving device SV moves a center ofgravity G of the rider J rearward by tilting an upper surface (a seatingsurface) of the seat 14 diagonally upward when automatic brake controlis performed, and minimizes forward movement of the body of the rider J.The seat moving device SV may incline the seat 14 such that the outerside of the upper surface (the seating surface) of the seat 14 withrespect to the corner is lifted when the automatic steering control isperformed. In this case, the center of gravity G of the rider J is movedto an inner side of the corner, and the vehicle body bank state becomeseasier to maintain.

The controller 27 is, for example, the control device 23. At least apart of the controller 27 may be realized by cooperation of software andhardware.

FIG. 7 is a view for explaining an example of drive assistance control,and FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of processing performed bythe control device 23 in the drive assistance control. Further, acontrol flow of the embodiment shown other than FIG. 8 is executedrepeatedly at a prescribed control period (1 to 10 msec) upon turning ONof a main switch of the motorcycle 1.

The drive assistance control shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 is control whencornering is performed in the case in which only a drive assistancedevice such as an adaptive cruise control system (ACC), a lane keepingassistance system (LKAS), or the like, is actuated. The control device23 recognizes a curve of the traveling lane and supports cornering basedon, for example, information in front of the vehicle captured by theoutside detecting camera 38.

First, the control device 23 determines whether the motorcycle 1 is uponentry of the corner (step S11). In this example, it is determined thatwhen the motorcycle 1 begins to tilt down the vehicle body afterdeceleration is upon entry of the corner. At least one of decelerationand tilt-down of the vehicle body may be the case due to an operation ofthe rider J and the case due to automatic control. In the case of YES instep S11 (upon entry of the corner), processing is shifted to step S12.In step S12, the engine auxiliary machinery is operated by athrottle-by-wire, and a driving force by the engine 10 is decreased (forexample, switched to a low output map for cornering). In the case of NOin step S11 (not entry of the corner), the processing is terminatedonce.

Next, the control device 23 determines whether the motorcycle 1 is in anormal turning state (step S13). The “normal turning state” is, forexample, a state in which regular turning traveling is performed at abank angle and a vehicle speed with a fixed balance, and detected by theIMU 34 and the vehicle speed sensor. In the case of YES in step S13 (anormal turning state), the processing is shifted to step S14, thedriving force by the engine 10 is held constantly (a partial throttle).In the case of NO in step S13 (not a normal turning state), theprocessing is terminated once.

Next, the control device 23 determines whether the motorcycle 1 is atthe beginning of returning to a straight line after the corner (stepS15). In this example, when the outside detecting camera 38 recognizesthe corner exit is determined as the start of the corner. In the case ofYES in step S15 (at the start of the corner), the processing is shiftedto step S16. In step S16, the engine auxiliary machinery is actuated bythe throttle-by-wire, and the driving force by the engine 10 isincreased (for example, returning to a state before a decrease indriving force). Accordingly, the processing is smoothly shifted to theacceleration from the start of the corner. In the case of NO in stepS15, (not at the beginning of returning to a straight line after thecorner), the processing is terminated once.

In the cornering of the motorcycle 1, a driving force of the engine islowered upon entering the corner, and the driving force of the engine 10is used to stabilize the turning movement during turning. Meanwhile, inthe following travel to the preceding vehicle, when the host vehicle isturned at a fixed vehicle speed, the rider J may feel discomfort and mayaffect attractiveness of products.

Here, maneuverability of the rider J without discomfort is realized toimprove attractiveness of products by automatically controlling thedriving force of the engine 10 as described above within a range inwhich there is no influence on the vehicle speed.

While the drive assistance control enables the cornering of themotorcycle 1 without the operation by the rider J, it is possible toprioritize the operation intention of the rider J and to intervene theoperation by the rider J during control.

Here, the motorcycle 1 generates a steering assistance force around thesteering shaft 4 c through driving of the steering actuator 43. Strengthof the assistance force is set such that the steering operation of therider J is not interfered.

For example, when the motorcycle 1 travels in the erected state, if aclockwise steering assistance force is generated at the center of thesteering shaft 4 c, the following effects occur. That is, in themotorcycle 1, an action (a roll assistance force) that attempts to rollthe vehicle body to the left (a side opposite to the steering direction)occurs. In other words, an effect that causes the vehicle body to bankby the reverse handling (counter steering).

After that, the counter steering disappears along as an increase in bankangle, and further, the front wheel 2 becomes a self steering state witha steering angle toward the bank. Then, when the bank angle and thesteering angle reach a predetermined angle according to the vehiclespeed or the like, turning traveling that keeps the bank angle and thesteering angle starts.

For example, when the motorcycle 1 is turning with the vehicle bodyrolled (banked) to the left, if a counterclockwise steering assistanceforce is generated at the center of the steering shaft 4 c (on the sameside as the roll direction), the following effects occur. That is, inthe motorcycle 1, the action of raising the vehicle body to the right (aside opposite to the steering direction) occurs. In other words, anaction of returning the vehicle body to the erected state is generatedby further returning the handle of the steering mechanism 4S.

The controller 27 controls driving of the steering actuator 43 such thatan increase speed (an increasing rate) of the bank angle (the rollangle) is less than a predetermined threshold when the motorcycle 1 isbanked (when the bank angle is increased). The motorcycle 1 willtilt-down more slowly and it will be easier to control the vehicle bodyby restricting the increase speed in bank angle.

The controller 27 does not restrict the decrease speed of the bank anglewhen raising the motorcycle 1 from the bank state (when reducing thebank angle), and makes it easier to return vehicle body to the erectedstate. Accordingly, the behavior of the vehicle body is suppressed withrespect to the bank state of the vehicle body, and it is possible toquickly shift to the acceleration at the end of the cornering.

Referring to FIGS. 9 and 10, when the rider J is at a regular drivingattitude, prescribed downward loads F1 and F2 are input to the left andright grips 20 a and the left and right steps 14 s, respectively.

On the other hand, the rider J may twist the body to look back, or standup while holding the handle and stretch out the limbs, and the loadinput to the grips 20 a and the steps 14 s is not always symmetrical andconstant. In addition, in the grips 20 a and the steps 14 s, theoscillation frequency also changes as the input load changes. Thedriving attitude of the rider J is detected using these points as well.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing an example of processing performed by thecontrol device 23 when the attitude of the rider J is detected.

In this example, the control device 23 detects a magnitude, crosswisedifference, and an oscillation frequency of the load detected by thegrip sensors 20 c and the step sensors 14 c (step S21), and determineswhether the rider J is at a regular driving attitude on the basis of thedetection information thereof (step S22). In the case of YES in step S22(a regular driving attitude), the driving assistance is performed with apredetermined standard output (step S23). In the case of NO in step S22(not a regular driving attitude), the driving assistance is performedwith a low output lower than the standard output (step S24).

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing an example of processing performed by thecontrol device 23 when the preparation behavior is generated and thedriving assistance is performed.

In this example, the control device 23 generates a preparation behaviorin the vehicle body behavior generating part 25 according to apreparation output lower than the standard output (step S31). Next, itis determined whether a behavior of the rider J with respect to thepreparation behavior is appropriate (whether a change of a load or thelike with respect to the grips 20 a and the steps 14 s is within theassumption) (step S32). In the case of YES in step S32 (a behavior ofthe rider J is appropriate), it is determined that the rider J canwithstand the vehicle body behavior that will be generated after now,and driving assistance is performed with the standard output (step S33).In the case of NO in step S32 (the behavior of the rider J is notappropriate), it is determined that the attitude of the rider J will belargely disturbed due to the vehicle body behavior that will begenerated after now, and the driving assistance is performed with thelow output (step S34).

FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing an example of processing performed by thecontrol device 23 when the behavior suppressing part 29 is actuated andthe driving assistance is performed, and FIG. 14 is a view forexplaining an action of the seat moving device SV of the behaviorsuppressing part 29 when seen from a side.

In this example, the control device 23 determines whether the conditionfor the driving assistance is set (step S41). In the case of YES in stepS41 (the condition for the driving assistance is set), after thebehavior suppressing part 29 is actuated (step S42), the drivingassistance is performed (step S43). The behavior suppressing part 29 isactuated for the purpose of at least one of suppressing the vehicle bodybehavior generated from now on and causing the rider J on the vehiclebody to easily endure the vehicle body behavior. For the former purpose,the behavior suppressing part 29 actuates the vehicle height adjustmentdevice SU to lower the vehicle height of the motorcycle 1. For thelatter purpose, the behavior suppressing part 29 actuates the seatmoving device SV to move the center of gravity G of the rider Jrearward.

Here, during actuation of the automatic brake, since the rider J focuseson supporting the body attitude change due to deceleration with thearms, it becomes difficult to add the braking force by the operation ofthe brake lever 2 a. Here, while it is conceivable to operate the brakepedal 7 a with the foot to add the braking force, it is usuallydifficult to obtain a sufficient braking force. That is, upondeceleration of the vehicle, the rear wheel ground pressure is low, andit is difficult to increase the rear wheel braking force. Even when theinterlocking front/rear brake system is provided, normally, since therear wheel 7 is prioritized for braking upon operation of the brakepedal 7 a, it is difficult to increase the braking force of the frontwheel 2.

Here, in the embodiment, when the brake operation is performed by therider J during actuation of the automatic brake, even any one of thebrake operators ba is operated, the front wheel 2 is prioritized toapply braking by, for example, switching the braking force map of thefront and rear wheels. Accordingly, even when the rider J tries to add abraking force by an operation of the brake pedal 7 a, a sufficientbraking force can be added.

A body attitude of the rider J is disturbed and it is lead to thetiredness depending on an actuation of the automatic brake control andthe automatic steering control. Therefore, for example, the gravitycenter position of the rider J may be estimated by using the seat sensor14 d, by comparing a difference from a standard value (an estimatedvalue) of the vehicle body behavior, and the like, and the controlintervention quantity may be adjusted by the movement of the gravitycenter position. That is, when it is determined that movement of thegravity center position of the rider J is large, the controlintervention quantity may be decreased. In addition, when the behavior(displacement) of the rider J is detected using the occupant detectingcamera 39 and the behavior of the rider J is large, the controlintervention quantity may be decreased.

FIG. 15 is a view for explaining an application example of the driveassistance control, and FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing an example ofprocessing performed by the control device 23 in the applicationexample.

As shown in FIG. 15(a), in a situation in which the motorcycle 1performs the cornering while following a preceding vehicle 1A using theadaptive cruise control system (ACC), when the preceding vehicle 1A isdecelerated, the host vehicle is also decelerated according to this.Here, in a state in which the motorcycle 1 is banked, the bank angle isincreased according to deceleration, and the course may move toward theinner side of the corner (indicated by a broken arrow in the drawings).In this case, normally, while the course is corrected by the operationof the rider J, the effort of the rider J is required.

That is, in the acceleration and deceleration during cornering, not onlythe behavior in the pitch direction occurs but also the behavior in theroll direction occurs due to adjustment of the vehicle body bank angle.For this reason, the effort of the rider J required for the vehicle bodycontrol is greater than that upon straight traveling. On the other hand,reduction in tiredness of the rider J is achieved as the control device23 assists the acceleration and deceleration during cornering and theadjustment of the bank angle.

As shown in FIG. 15(b), in the application example, in the middle of thedeceleration in which the motorcycle 1 performs cornering whilefollowing the preceding vehicle 1A, an action of raising the vehiclebody (maintaining or reducing the bank angle) is generated by alsoactuating the steering device ST. Accordingly, non-intentional tilt-downof the motorcycle 1 is suppressed, and a change of the course of themotorcycle 1 to the inner side of the corner is suppressed according todeceleration during cornering.

As shown in FIG. 16, in the application example, first, the controldevice 23 determines whether the bank of the motorcycle 1 is present(step S51). In the case of YES (the bank is present) in step S51, theprocessing is shifted to step S52, and it is determined whetherdeceleration of the motorcycle 1 is present. In the case of YES (thedeceleration is present) in step S52, the processing is shifted to stepS53, and an action of raising the vehicle body is generated by steeringassistance. In the case of NO (the bank is not present and thedeceleration is not present) in steps S51 and S52, the processing isterminated once.

As described above, the drive assistance device for a saddle typevehicle in the embodiment includes the ride sensor 37 configured todetect a ride attitude of the rider J, the vehicle body behaviorgenerating part 25 configured to generate a behavior on a vehicle bodyby a prescribed output, and the controller 27 configured to controldriving of the vehicle body behavior generating part 25, and, when thevehicle body behavior generating part 25 is actuated regardless of theoperation of the rider J, the controller 27 actuates the vehicle bodybehavior generating part 25 according to the ride attitude of the riderJ detected by the ride sensor 37.

According to this configuration, when the automatic control condition issatisfied in which the behavior is generated in the vehicle body by theprescribed output such as automatic brake control, automatic steeringcontrol, or the like, automatic control is actuated according to theride attitude of the rider J. Accordingly, when the rider J is at adriving attitude, which is not regular, such as one-hand driving or thelike, and it is expected that the attitude of the rider J is greatlydisturbed by the vehicle body behavior due to automatic control, acountermeasure of turning OFF the automatic control or decreasing theoutput becomes possible. Accordingly, disturbance on the attitude of therider J can be minimized.

In addition, in the above mentioned drive assistance device for a saddletype vehicle, the vehicle body behavior generating part 25 includes thebrake device BR configured to brake the host vehicle, and the controller27 actuates the brake device BR according to the ride attitude of therider J detected by the ride sensor 37 when the brake device BR isactuated regardless of the operation of the rider J.

According to this configuration, when the condition of the automaticbrake control is satisfied, the automatic brake is turned ON/OFF or theactuation level is adjusted according to the ride attitude of the riderJ. Accordingly, when the rider J is at a driving attitude that is notregular and it is expected that the attitude of the rider J is greatlydisturbed by the vehicle body behavior due to automatic braking, acountermeasure of decreasing the output of the automatic brake or thelike becomes possible. Accordingly, disturbance on the attitude of therider J can be minimized.

In addition, in the above mentioned drive assistance device for a saddletype vehicle, the vehicle body behavior generating part 25 includes thesteering device ST configured to steer the host vehicle, and thecontroller 27 actuate the steering device ST according to the rideattitude of the rider J detected by the ride sensor 37 when the steeringdevice ST is actuated regardless of the operation of the rider J.

According to this configuration, when the condition of the automaticsteering control is satisfied, the automatic steering is turned ON/OFFor the actuation level is adjusted according to the ride attitude of therider J. Accordingly, when the rider J is at a driving attitude that isnot regular and it is expected that the attitude of the rider J isgreatly disturbed by the vehicle body behavior due to automaticsteering, a countermeasure of decreasing the output of the automaticsteering or the like becomes possible. Accordingly, disturbance on theattitude of the rider J can be minimized.

In addition, in the above mentioned drive assistance device for a saddletype vehicle, the handle 20 to which the rider J performs a steeringoperation is provided, the ride sensor 37 includes the grip sensors 20 cthat is disposed on the grips 20 a of the handle 20 and that isconfigured to detect a gripped state by the rider J, and the controller27 actuates the vehicle body behavior generating part 25 according tothe gripped state of the rider J detected by the grip sensors 20 c.

According to this configuration, the automatic control is turned ON/OFFor the actuation level is adjusted according to the gripped state of thehandle grips 20 a by the rider J. Accordingly, when the rider J is at adriving attitude that is not regular and it is expected that theattitude of the rider J is greatly disturbed by the vehicle bodybehavior due to automatic control, a countermeasure of decreasing theoutput of the automatic control or the like becomes possible.Accordingly, disturbance on the attitude of the rider J can beminimized.

In addition, in the above mentioned drive assistance device for a saddletype vehicle, the handle 20 includes the pair of left and right grips 20a, the ride sensor 37 includes the pair of left and right grip sensors20 c disposed on the pair of left and right grips 20 a, respectively,and the controller 27 actuates the vehicle body behavior generating part25 according to the crosswise difference of the gripped state of therider J detected by the pair of left and right grip sensors 20 c.

According to this configuration, the automatic control is turned ON/OFFor the actuation level is adjusted according to the crosswise differenceof the gripped state of the left and right grips 20 a by the rider J.Accordingly, when the rider J is at a driving attitude that is notregular and it is expected that the attitude of the rider J is greatlydisturbed by the vehicle body behavior due to automatic control, acountermeasure of decreasing the output of the automatic control or thelike becomes possible. Accordingly, disturbance on the attitude of therider J can be minimized.

In addition, in the above mentioned drive assistance device for a saddletype vehicle, the grip sensors 20 c detect a load direction with respectto the grips 20 a, and the controller 27 actuates the vehicle bodybehavior generating part 25 according to the load direction detected bythe grip sensors 20 c.

According to this configuration, the automatic control is turned ON/OFFor the actuation level is adjusted according to the load direction ofthe grips 20 a of the handle 20 by the rider J. Accordingly, when therider J is at a driving attitude that is not regular and it is expectedthat the attitude of the rider J is greatly disturbed by the vehiclebody behavior due to automatic control, a countermeasure of decreasingthe output of the automatic control or the like becomes possible.Accordingly, disturbance on the attitude of the rider J can beminimized.

In addition, in the drive assistance device for a saddle type vehicle,the grip sensors 20 c detects an oscillation frequency of the grips 20a, and the controller 27 actuates the vehicle body behavior generatingpart 25 according to the oscillation frequency detected by the gripsensors 20 c.

According to this configuration, the automatic control is turned ON/OFFor the actuation level is adjusted according to a change in theoscillation frequency due to existence of gripping of the grips 20 a ofthe handle 20 by the rider J. Accordingly, when the rider J is at adriving attitude that is not regular and it is expected that theattitude of the rider J is greatly disturbed by the vehicle bodybehavior due to automatic control, a countermeasure of decreasing theoutput of the automatic control or the like becomes possible.Accordingly, disturbance on the attitude of the rider J can beminimized.

In addition, in the drive assistance device for a saddle type vehicle,the steps 14 s on which the rider J puts his/her foot are provided, theride sensor 37 includes the step sensors 14 c disposed on the steps 14s, and the controller 27 actuates the vehicle body behavior generatingpart 25 according to a footrest state of the rider J detected by thestep sensors 14 c.

According to this configuration, the automatic control is turned ON/OFFor the actuation level is adjusted according to the footrest state tothe steps 14 s by the rider J. Accordingly, when the rider J is at adriving attitude, which is not regular, such as removal of foot from thesteps 14 s, or the like, and it is expected that the attitude of therider J is greatly disturbed by the vehicle body behavior due toautomatic control, a countermeasure of decreasing the output of theautomatic control or the like becomes possible. Accordingly, disturbanceon the attitude of the rider J can be minimized.

In addition, in the above mentioned drive assistance device for a saddletype vehicle, the pair of left and right steps 14 s are provided on bothsides of the vehicle body, the ride sensor 37 includes the pair of leftand right step sensors 14 c disposed on the pair of left and right steps14 s, respectively, and the controller 27 actuates the vehicle bodybehavior generating part 25 according to the crosswise difference in thefootrest state of the rider J detected by the pair of left and rightstep sensors 14 c.

According to this configuration, the automatic control is turned ON/OFFor the actuation level is adjusted according to the crosswise differenceof the footrest state to the steps 14 s by the rider J. Accordingly,when the rider J is at a driving attitude that is not regular and it isexpected that the attitude of the rider J is greatly disturbed by thevehicle body behavior due to automatic control, a countermeasure ofdecreasing the output of the automatic control or the like becomespossible. Accordingly, disturbance on the attitude of the rider J can beminimized.

In addition, in the above mentioned drive assistance device for a saddletype vehicle, the step sensors 14 c detect the load direction withrespect to the steps 14 s, and the controller 27 actuates the vehiclebody behavior generating part 25 according to the load directiondetected by the step sensors 14 c.

According to this configuration, the automatic control is turned ON/OFFand the actuation level is adjusted according to the load direction withrespect to the steps 14 s by the rider J. Accordingly, when the rider Jis at a driving attitude that is not regular and it is expected that theattitude of the rider J is greatly disturbed by the vehicle bodybehavior due to automatic control, a countermeasure of decreasing theoutput of the automatic control or the like becomes possible.Accordingly, disturbance on the attitude of the rider J can beminimized.

In addition, in the above mentioned drive assistance device for a saddletype vehicle, the step sensors 14 c detects an oscillation frequency ofthe steps 14 s, and the controller 27 actuates the vehicle body behaviorgenerating part 25 according to the oscillation frequency detected bythe step sensors 14 c.

According to this configuration, the automatic control is turned ON/OFFor the actuation level is adjusted according to a change in theoscillation frequency due to existence of the footrest load with respectto the steps 14 s by the rider J. Accordingly, when the rider J is at adriving attitude that is not regular and it is expected that theattitude of the rider J is greatly disturbed by the vehicle bodybehavior due to automatic control, a countermeasure of decreasing theoutput of the automatic control or the like becomes possible.Accordingly, disturbance on the attitude of the rider J can beminimized.

Here, when at least one of the plurality of devices of the vehicle bodybehavior generating part 25 is actuated regardless of the operation ofthe rider J, the controller 27 determines which of the plurality ofdevices (the brake device BR, the driving device EN, and the steeringdevice ST) is to be actuated according to the ride attitude of the riderJ detected by the ride sensor 37.

For example, the controller 27 estimates a state of an upper half bodyof the rider J from a magnitude of a load, a crosswise difference, aload direction and an oscillation frequency detected by the left andright grip sensors 20 c. In addition, the controller 27 estimates astate of a lower half body of the rider J from a magnitude of a load, acrosswise difference, a load direction and an oscillation frequencydetected by the left and right step sensors 14 c. The controller 27estimates a body attitude of the rider J from the estimated result, anddetermines which of the acceleration, deceleration and steering of thevehicle body is to be assisted according to the body attitude.

For example, the controller 27 determines whether the brake assistanceis performed or the steering assistance is performed based on the bodyattitude of the rider J when it is recognized that the host vehicle isapproaching the object in front of the vehicle.

For example, the controller 27 performs the following determination whenit is estimated that the body of the rider J is biased forward from thestandard attitude. The controller 27 selects the automatic steeringinstead of the automatic braking to prevent the body of the rider J frommoving further forward.

For example, the controller 27 performs the following determination whenit is estimated that the body of the rider is biased leftward orrightward from the standard attitude. The controller 27 selects theautomatic braking instead of the automatic steering to prevent the bodyof the rider J from moving further leftward or rightward.

Further, for example, the gravity center position of the body of therider J is estimated using the seat sensor 14 d, and the result may beused to estimate the body attitude. In addition, the detection result bythe occupant detecting camera 39 may be used.

According to this configuration, when the automatic control condition issatisfied, in which a behavior is generated in the vehicle body by theprescribed output, such as automatic brake control, automatic steeringcontrol, or the like, it is determined which of the plurality of devicesincluded in the vehicle body behavior generating part 25 is actuatedaccording to the ride attitude of the rider J. Accordingly, when therider J is at a driving attitude, which is not regular, such as one-handdriving or the like, and it is expected that the attitude of the rider Jis greatly disturbed by the vehicle body behavior due to any automaticcontrol, the automatic control appropriate for the detected drivingattitude can be selected and executed. Accordingly, disturbance on theattitude of the rider J can be minimized.

In addition, in the above mentioned drive assistance device for a saddletype vehicle, first, the controller 27 controls the vehicle bodybehavior generating part 25 to generate a low output that is lower thana predetermined original target output when the vehicle body behaviorgenerating part 25 is actuated regardless of the operation of the riderJ, and sets the output value after that according to the change of atleast one of the gripped state of the grips and the footrest state ofthe steps generated due to the low output.

According to this configuration, when the condition of the automaticcontrol is satisfied, in which the behavior is generated in the vehiclebody by the prescribed output, such as automatic brake control,automatic steering control, or the like, a preparation behavior by a lowoutput is generated. Here, an automatic control level (strength) is setaccording to the change of at least one of the gripped state of thegrips and the footrest state of the steps by the rider J. Accordingly,when the rider J is at a driving attitude, which is not regular, such asone-hand driving, removal of the foot from the steps, or the like, andit is expected that attitude of the rider J is greatly disturbed by thevehicle body behavior due to automatic control, a countermeasure ofdecreasing the output of the automatic control or the like becomespossible. Accordingly, disturbance on the attitude of the rider J can beminimized.

In addition, in the above mentioned drive assistance device for a saddletype vehicle, the behavior suppressing part 29 configured to suppressthe behavior of at least one of the vehicle body and the rider Jaccording to actuation of the brake device BR is provided, and thecontroller 27 actuates the brake device BR in a state in which thebehavior suppressing part 29 is actuated.

According to this configuration, when the condition of the automaticbrake control is satisfied, the behavior of at least one of the vehiclebody and the rider J is suppressed by the behavior suppressing part 29by actuating the automatic brake while the behavior suppressing part 29is actuated. Accordingly, disturbance on the attitude of the rider J canbe minimized.

In addition, in the above mentioned drive assistance device for a saddletype vehicle, the behavior suppressing part 29 includes the vehicleheight adjustment device SU configured to increase and decrease thevehicle height of the motorcycle 1, and the controller 27 actuates thebrake device BR in a state in which the host vehicle height adjustmentdevice SU is actuated and the vehicle height is lowered.

According to this configuration, when the condition of the automaticbrake control is satisfied, the behavior (pitching) of the vehicle bodyis suppressed by actuating the automatic brake while the vehicle heightof the motorcycle 1 is lowered. Accordingly, disturbance on the attitudeof the rider J can be minimized.

In addition, in the above mentioned drive assistance device for a saddletype vehicle, the behavior suppressing part 29 includes the seat movingdevice SV configured to change an inclination of the seat 14 on whichthe occupant sits, and the controller 27 actuates the brake device BR ina state in which the seat moving device SV is actuated and the seat 14is inclined rearward and downward.

According to this configuration, when the condition of the automaticbrake control is satisfied, a behavior (forward movement) of the body ofthe rider J is suppressed by actuating the automatic brake while theseat 14 is inclined rearward. Accordingly, disturbance on the attitudeof the rider J can be minimized.

In addition, in the above mentioned drive assistance device for a saddletype vehicle, the brake operator ba that allows the rider J to operatethe brake device BR is provided, and, in the case in which the operationwith respect to the brake operator ba is performed when the brake deviceBR is actuated, the controller 27 increases the output of the brakedevice BR according to such operation.

According to this configuration, in the case in which the brake operatorba is operated such that the rider J intends to increase the brakingforce when the automatic brake is actuated, the output of the brakedevice is increased according to the operation. Accordingly, even whenthe automatic brake is being actuated, the braking force can beincreased according to the intention of the rider J to apply morebrakes.

Further, the present invention is not limited to the above-mentionedembodiment, and for example, a configuration of detecting a rideattitude of a rider in relation with a sensor installed on a helmet,clothes, or the like, of the rider may be provided.

All vehicles on which a driver rides on the vehicle body are included asthe saddle type vehicle, and in addition to a motorcycle (including amotorized bicycle and a scooter-type vehicle), a three-wheeled vehicle(including a two-front-wheeled and one-rear-wheeled vehicle in additionto one-front-wheeled and two-rear-wheeled vehicle) or a four-wheeledvehicle may also be included.

Then, the configuration according to the embodiment is an example of thepresent invention, and various changes may be made without departingfrom the scope of the present invention, such as substitution of thecomponents of the embodiment with known components, and the like.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST

-   -   1 Motorcycle (saddle type vehicle)    -   1A Preceding vehicle    -   2 a Brake lever    -   3 Front forks    -   4S Steering mechanism    -   7 a Brake pedal    -   8 a Rear cushion    -   10 Engine    -   14 Seat    -   14 c Step sensor    -   14 d Seat sensor    -   14 s Step    -   20 Handle    -   20 a Grip    -   20 c Grip sensor    -   24 Drive assistance device    -   25 Vehicle body behavior generating part    -   26 Occupant attitude detecting part    -   27 Controller    -   28 Occupant behavior detecting part    -   29 Behavior suppressing part    -   37 Ride sensor    -   39 Occupant detecting camera    -   43 Steering actuator    -   BR Brake device    -   EN Driving device    -   ST Steering device    -   SU Vehicle height adjustment device    -   SV Seat moving device    -   ba Brake operator    -   J Rider

What is claim is:
 1. A drive assistance device for a saddle type vehiclecomprising: a ride sensor configured to detect a ride attitude of arider; a vehicle body behavior generating part configured to generate abehavior on a vehicle body by a prescribed output; and a controllerconfigured to control driving of a plurality of devices included in thevehicle body behavior generating part, wherein, when at least one of theplurality of devices is actuated regardless of an operation of therider, the controller determines which of the plurality of devices is tobe actuated according to the ride attitude of the rider detected by theride sensor.
 2. The drive assistance device for a saddle type vehicleaccording to claim 1, comprising, a handle to which the rider performs asteering operation, the ride sensor includes a grip sensor that isdisposed on a grip of the handle and that is configured to detect agripped state of the rider, and the controller detects the ride attitudeof the rider according to the gripped state of the rider detected by thegrip sensor.
 3. The drive assistance device for a saddle type vehicleaccording to claim 2, wherein the handle comprises a pair of left andright grips, the ride sensor comprises a pair of left and right gripsensors disposed on the pair of left and right grips, respectively, andthe controller detects a ride attitude of the rider according to acrosswise difference between the gripped states of the rider detected bythe pair of left and right grip sensors.
 4. The drive assistance devicefor a saddle type vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the grip sensordetects a load direction with respect to the grip, and the controllerdetects a ride attitude of the rider according to the load directiondetected by the grip sensor.
 5. The drive assistance device for a saddletype vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the grip sensor detects anoscillation frequency of the grip, and the controller detects a rideattitude of the rider according to the oscillation frequency detected bythe grip sensor.
 6. The drive assistance device for a saddle typevehicle according to claim 1, comprising; a step on which the rider putshis/her foot, the ride sensor comprises a step sensor disposed on thestep, and the controller detects a ride attitude of the rider accordingto a footrest state of the rider detected by the step sensor.
 7. Thedrive assistance device for a saddle type vehicle according to claim 6,comprising; a pair of left and right steps on both sides of a vehiclebody, the ride sensor comprises a pair of left and right step sensorsdisposed on the pair of left and right steps respectively, and thecontroller detects a ride attitude of the rider according to a crosswisedifference between the footrest states of the rider detected by the pairof left and right step sensors.
 8. The drive assistance device for asaddle type vehicle according to claim 6, wherein the step sensordetects a load direction with respect to the step, and the controllerdetects a ride attitude of the rider according to the load directiondetected by the step sensor.
 9. The drive assistance device for a saddletype vehicle according to claim 6, wherein the step sensor detects anoscillation frequency of the step, and the controller detects a rideattitude of the rider according to the oscillation frequency detected bythe step sensor.
 10. The drive assistance device for a saddle typevehicle according to claim 1, wherein the controller performs automaticsteering control in the case in which it is determined that the body ofthe rider is biased forward from a standard attitude when it isrecognized that an object is approaching a host vehicle.
 11. The driveassistance device for a saddle type vehicle according to claim 1,wherein the controller performs automatic brake control when it isdetermined that the body of the rider is biased leftward or rightwardfrom a standard attitude when it is recognized that an object isapproaching a host vehicle.